This invention relates to an anti-denaturation agent for preventing protein denaturation in fish or meat paste products, such as minced or ground fish, fish cake, fish sausage, meat ham or meat sausage.
In the fish or meat paste products, such as minced or ground fish, fish cake, fish sticks, fish sausage, meat ham or meat sausage, anti-denaturation agents are employed as additives for preventing denaturation of protein and for improving water retaining properties and resiliency of the ultimate products. An example of the anti-denaturation agents includes a synthetic additive such as polymerized phosphates. It is, however, feared in recent years that an excess intake of the polymerized phosphates may cause growth insufficiency, lesion to renal or urinary tubes, decomposition of calcium forming the main component of human bone, and other harms to a human body.
On the other hand, the salted ground fish, obtained by addition of table salt to the ground fish, is not harmful to a human body, but it has a drawback that it is subject to devil's tongue like gellation upon addition of salt, thus presenting difficulties in molding or addition of condiments for preparation of fish or meat paste products. The salted ground fish has an additional drawback that it can be preserved only for a shorter period of time than in the case of the ground fish containing a synthetic additive, such as the polymerized phosphates.